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I have had my business of Decorative Artwork since 1992. Over the course of those years I have worked with many painters from different areas. The majority of the time things went well for the client. And for myself as well. But, I have run across some disasters too. Here are some tips for hiring the right painter for your project.

#1…..Get References! Don’t expect a quote over the phone. And for big projects, hopefully you could actually see some of their work. Here’s an example of what could go wrong. –
I had a client a few years back that needed their 2 story family room painted. It needed some patching and in some areas on the ceiling there needed to be drywall tape replaced. My client got the name of a painter from someone she didn’t know but she told me the guy was excited about the job and didn’t mind working on scaffolding. I finished my decorative painting before the painter and his buddy were done. But I had to go back the next day to be paid. When I went back my client was almost in tears. The painters had “finished” and they had been paid. Well, she brings me in to show me what they had done to her family room ceiling. They had used blue painters tape instead of drywall tape to fix the areas that needed it! And the tape was starting to peel off. She had called the painter to discuss it with him only to find out he had left town.
That is the worst I have seen. Most painters are reputable and trustworthy. But…..
Get References!

#2…..When you do find a painter you can trust, if they say they need a deposit, give it to them. After the economic downturn I’ve known contractors that just don’t want to run a tab at the paint store anymore. Probably holds true for many trades.

#3…..I think this may be as important as #1. Let them do their job. Don’t be underfoot and try to keep children busy with other things.

#4…..Pay promptly. Times are different now.

As I said I have worked with many different painters over the years. And now I only recommend one painter. If it doesn’t work for the client then they are on their own finding one. The painter I recommend is
Rick Wehrman….I have known him for maybe 20 years. I not only recommend him because he is a great painter, ( his son right along with him, and sometimes his daughter as well), but they are great with customers. They go in and do their job and do it well. For me, it is important to have a good rapport with the painter on the job. It makes my life a lot easier.

I finished up a portion of a large project with Rick and crew. Here is an example of how he makes my life easier.
The client wanted their foyer tray ceiling done. If I did it it would mean bringing in scaffolding, hiring someone to put it up and then take it down again. Rick has done bits of faux finishing for me before so I asked him if he would take it on and he said he would. The faux that was to be done in the tray in the foyer was the same one that I had done in the dining room tray ceiling.

Besides having good work done, the foyer tray ceiling was less costly because Rick uses an extension ladder to do them. Saves a great deal of time as well. The photos in this post show the tray ceiling in progress and then finished. Doesn’t it look great?!

I hope you consider this the next time you are looking for a painter. It could save you heartache and money.

Remember this chair? This is my Goodwill find. I paid $7.00 for it. Here is what is printed under the seat –

I mentioned in an earlier post about how I was put off by the “gazillion” staples in the blue velvet chair I had come across. I finally caved and decided to tackle it. I loved the process. I love the chair. Of course, there are things I wish I knew before I started. One thing I recommend …….do not try to rush it.

My original plan was to recover it and paint the wood. But seeing as it was going to involve more work anyway, I decided to strip the wood and do a finish on it that I have been wanting to try.The finish is done in layers. This is something I have always found with paint – the wonderful effects you get when you layer paint and glaze and top coats. The first detail photo is one of the wood details. I added a little Warm Silver metallic paint to accent the design.

The arms of the chair have detail too. The design works well with the type of finish I applied.

And……finally…….”the chair” completed –

What do you think? The fabric choice surprised me. I don’t ordinarily lean in this direction, design and color wise. But when I saw this one it just seemed to belong to the chair.

Would I do it again? Right now I say no. But with time passing and if I came across the right piece, who knows? It definitely gave me a new respect for upholsterers.

On another note, I went to the Kane County Flea Market yesterday. Best around in my book. This year I am looking for 2 old screen doors to turn into displays. I will be checking at the Morris Markets as well which run from May to October.

I saw this somewhere and I think it would be such a great craft for kids to give their mom for Mother’s Day. I think I originally saw it on Pinterest but have seen it twice more since then.

The supplies you need are few. The sticks you can get at Walmart or a craft store. Also the paint brushes. For the paint I used one color that is actually a wall color, but very fashionable. Or, as shown, the craft paints.

You will also need a couple of drinking glasses or cups.

While you are preparing your work space bring a pan of water to a boil. The pan should be big enough for the sticks to lay in with a little room to spare.

Once the water is boiling put your sticks in it and boil for 15 minutes. Put in a few extra sticks in case some break, although I did’t have a problem.

After 15 minutes take them out one at a time, immediately starting to bend them easily into a “C” shape. Fit them in to the sides of a glass. They cool quickly, so once you take one out of the pan using tongs, you’ll be able to start shaping it right away.

The sticks need to dry overnight. Once dry, they can be painted and personalized.

Voila!
Have a great week!
Doris

Update: the chair is coming along nicely. I have the fabric and this week will be finding the right trim. I heard about a huge fabric and trim warehouse in Chicago that will hopefully have what I need because I haven’t found the right one out here. Field Trip! I may even take pictures and post on it if it’s as good as I was told.

Refinishing furniture is messy and odorous, no two ways about it. But the rewards can be many. The look of wood coming into a new life, maybe taking on a totally different look even.

The chair I had mentioned previously is one that in some ways has gone very smoothly and in others has been challenging. The biggest challenge has been dealing with all the staples in it. It is an Ethan Allen chair I came across at Goodwill for $7.00, therefor the quality is high.

The products used are shown here along with other items you will be using. I also picked up some cheap toothbrushes which really come in handy for crevices. The container you use to pour the product into should be nonporous, a tin can works well.

Two of the products I tried, whereas they worked okay, they were slower at the actual removing of the finish (which I believe to be 2-3 coats of varnish). Only one of them, the Jasco Premium Paint & Epoxy Remover, actually made the finish bubble up, which in the past was the sign of a great wood stripper. The other one, the 2 Minute Remover, worked about the same without the bubbling. They both had strong odors.

Here is a peak at how the wood looked once stripped. I hope to have the chair completed this week and Reveal it in next week’s post.

Maybe here would be a good place to insert the setup of such a project. Number one is have plenty of ventilation. Make sure the flooring of wherever you are working is covered well with some very protective tarps or papers.
Ideally you will have your own space set up for this task. Unfortunately with my physical condition being what it is I wasn’t able to carry the chair to my workroom.

My #1 product choice is ……….Klean Strip Klean Kutter Refinisher! .

It surprised me really. It is more runny whereas the others were more gel like. The others you brush on, let sit a few minutes, then remove. My choice to remove the finish is steel wool and then old tshirts.

The Klean Strip, however, you apply with the steel wool and start rubbing. It didn’t need a lot of pressure either. I dipped the end of a steel wool pad in the solution being careful of the dripping, I wiped the wood once with the grain, and when I went to wipe again the finish came right off. I was thrilled! So the one I thought I would like the least, actually turned out to be my favorite.

With this project I got a reminder of how much I always enjoyed stripping furniture. Not because of the process by any means, but because of the results. Makes me think of 2 pieces that have been sitting around maybe needing to be refreshed.

It looks to be another good week here in Illinois. Maybe some rain but more badly needed sunshine as well.

Over the next few weeks I will be working with chalk paint alot. That is not the same as chalkboard paint although you can write on it with chalk. Chalk paint has been around a long time but has recently regained a popularity among decorative painters. It can be used on walls with some effort but it is mainly used on furniture. Why? You may ask. Well, it has excellent adhesion. So much so that you do not have to prime. It dries faster and sands more easily for sanding or making a chippy painted piece.

Now, you can go out and buy ready made chalk paint. And if you do so I highly recommend Anne Sloan products. It can be quite costly if you are doing a large piece or a number of pieces such as I am doing. Beside, I, of course, just want to make up my own.

There are a number of kinds of recipes for chalk paint. I am going to be working with two. The first one is made with Plaster of Paris which can be bought at Home Depot. It is quite economical and goes a long way. The other is Calcium Carbonate which is not that easy to come by. I ended up ordering it from Amazon.com. I have heard of people getting it through there health food store which I will be looking into and maybe will know that little tidbit by the time I get to that kind of recipe. Getting ahead of myself a bit here. The cal carbonate won’t be in until next week and seeing as I have a deadline and am just itchy to get started I am going forward with the Plaster of Paris recipe.

This recipe usually comes in second to calciumn carbonate one because it doesn’t always want to mix well supposedly and doesn’t keep its’ consistancy overnight at times. I will say, however, I had no problem getting it to mix to a smooth consistancy. I’m starting with the smaller piece just to get my hands dirty, so to speak. Remember the piece with the Christmas tree on it? It is perfect for a starting point and I know exactly what I want to do with it to transform it. The other pieces I am still playing with colors for them.

The recipe for this one is::
Plaster of Paris Chalk Paint

3 parts latex paint, flat
1 part Plaster of Paris

Mix the PoP according to directions until it is a smooth contistancy.
Stir into the paint slowly. Combine until it is well mixed. You will know.
They say it should be the consistancy of pancake batter. Mine didn’t come out quite that soupy and tomorrow I will find out if that makes that much of a diffeerence.
Also, it is recommended not to use paint with a primer already in it. I didn’t know this tidbit until I had already purchased some of the paint. Again, supposedly it dries too fast using a paint with a primer in it. Personally I had no problem with it.

I put two coats on and am letting it dry overnight before moving on to the next step.
Doris

Every year I run a Christmas In July Sale offering a discount on Christmas items in my Etsy shop. This year is no different. This year I have decided to offer free shipping on anything relating to Christmas. Whether it be a tree skirt or stocking, or maybe a custom painting that has a Christmas theme.

A little too warm and rainy for you to be thinking of Christmas? Can’t forget the first day of summer was just 9 days ago? That’s okay! You have all month to warm up to the idea! (Pun intended, lol)
There are so many things I love about silk…..the feel, the sheen, the way it drapes. And believe it or not, it is a pleasure to paint on.

These are some of the Christmas related items that I have in my shop right now. I am, however starting on handpainted ornaments and a vintage/shabby chic tree skirt and stocking. That is besides a couple of Hydrangea paintings I have in the works, which I will be posting on before too long.

I really love combining sewing and painting. The cream colored silk tree skirt and stocking I even got to do some hand sewing in the way of quilting and sewing on beadwork.
It’s all good!

Hello there! Besides showing you the results of being inspired by images of flowers, I have a tip for all of you sewers and crafters.

The new look of colorful and for the most part floral pillows are quite eye catching. I don’t see how a person can not notice them. The majority of what I have seen being current trend is the use of the color of the year, Radiant Orchid. In one way or another I see this repeatedly on pillows, furniture, walls, etc.

Pillows are a simple and effective way to add a splash of color to any room. And simple to make! All you need for 2 19″ pillows is a yard and a quarter of fabric, some paint, and some pillow stuffing and away you go!

I chose straight white fabric because of the final result I have in mind that also includes making slipcovers for my sofa and chair (that will be in upcoming posts). So keep in mind when choosing your fabric what the final look is that you are after. I wanted that pop of color so the paint colors I went with are a middle value blue, a dark green mixed with white, and alizaron crimson mixed with white. If you have never heard of alizaron crimson, it is an artist color that is also available in craft paint. (And looks suspiciously like Radiant Orchid). I added a little more fabric extender than originally called for because I wanted the paint to stay extra soft.

As far as the stuffing goes, this is where the tip comes in. Because of being involved in a last minute project I needed some stuffing, and quick. I realized that I had a couple of bed pillows from the dollar store laying around, and low and behold they were made of the same stuffing that I had been paying at least double for at JoAnne’s fabrics or the craft stores! Check it out, for about $2.00 you can get enough stuffing for 2 pillows!

All I did for 18″ pillows was to cut out 19″ squares of fabric. You will need four, two for the fronts and two for the backs. I choose to paint pillows before putting them together. You sew the pillows right sides together leaving about a 3″-4″ opening for turning it right side out. Stuff the pillows with enough stuffing to make them plump, and then hand sew the opening that is left. Oila! How easy is that? I have already decided to do a couple on a fabric that has script on it. I love that look. I think I will either paint birds or maybe hydranges on them. Or, I could try a stencil. I will talk you through each step in that post. Right now I want to just get you thinking about it.

So, yes, I do have alot of creative ideas going on in this brain. And yes, oh, the projects I have in mind! I just have to keep reminding myself that they don’t have to all be done this week!